Independence Day

noun

: a civil holiday for the celebration of the anniversary of the beginnings of national independence

specifically : July 4 observed as a legal holiday in the U.S. in commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776

Examples of Independence Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wells disappeared July 4 after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast, to celebrate Independence Day. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

This was not an average Independence Day, as the nation celebrated its milestone two-hundred-and-fiftieth birthday. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Wells was the only Black friend in his group who went on the Independence Day trip to Horn Island, Miss. — Elise Gregg, NPR, 20 July 2026

Wells traveled to the island by boat with friends for an Independence Day party but did not return with them. — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Independence Day

• euphorbiaceae
• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier

Kids Definition

Independence Day

noun

: a holiday celebrating the beginnings of a nation's independence

especially : July 4 observed as a legal holiday in the U.S. in honor of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776